


Twisted Time

by Sha_of_Disappointment



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Dragon Anduin? Dragon Anduin., Dragonflight Shenanigans, Eventual Wranduin, First long fic don't hurt me, I haven't been to Pandaria in Ages there's gonna be some inconsistancies, I haven't written in a long time, I swear I'm trying, I'll add more tags when I remember more people, I'll make an outline.. eventually., M/M, Pandaria - Freeform, Pandaria Rewrite, People's names? What are thooose.., Role Swap AU, Ya'll this is happening, multi-chapter fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-11-15 10:56:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20865071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sha_of_Disappointment/pseuds/Sha_of_Disappointment
Summary: A time-line where the roles and lives have essentially been swapped.





	1. Chapter 1

Wrathion found Stormwind Keep utterly dull as he was present for yet another meeting. His father, King Neltharion, had frequent meetings with many of his lieutenants and generals. This particular meeting had been extremely boring until he heard the general mention sailing. Wrathion perked up immediately.

General Drakkisath, a dark skinned and stalwart human kept himself in a constant frozen stance, always at attention. The silver embroidered lion of his black and red Alliance tabard glimmered from the sunlight coming from the window. He kept his gaze on King Neltharion as he spoke. "Your majesty, the sailors are ready to set sail for Tanaris for the trade deal you've arranged with Noggenfogger."

Neltharion stared at Drakkisath with a dark expression. He grinned maliciously. "Good. I want you to put some SI:7 agents on board as well. If the goblin disagrees, you are free to dismantle their settlements, Drakkisath." The general nodded and Wrathion quickly jumped up from his seat, quickly fixing his princely regalia as he cleared his throat.

"Father.. Perhaps I could go as well?" Wrathion kept the look on his face neutral, however he found it hard to deny the excitement he felt. A chance to go somewhere..new.

King Neltharion turned to look at him, his dark reddish-brown eyes piercing. "For what reason? You are better off here.. Where we can keep an eye on you." The mistrust in Neltharion's voice was evident. The King, Queen, and the rest of the royal children had always been suspicious of Wrathion and his plots, mainly because of his mother. Wrathion himself found it ridiculous and held in a scoff.

"I think that perhaps I could learn from this trip - such as learning how to properly secure a trade agreement without fault." He stressed the word 'properly' to appease his father. Neltharion had always felt that Wrathion's way of doing things were flawed, mainly because they were different from the king's own preferences.

Neltharion stroked his beard, giving a thoughtful hum. "Very well, but you are to be guarded and watched at all times. Do not leave the general's sight." 

Wrathion nodded. He hated being watched but if it got him out of this crummy keep and somewhere else for a change, he supposed he could endure their hawking. Drakkisath bowed to Wrathion and looked at the prince with a blank expression his face. "I would suggest packing your things.. Our ship is scheduled to leave within an hour, your highness."

Wrathion nodded and left quickly to his room, gathering some supplies. He made a quick note to bring a compass and some canteens with him. He grabbed his dark red leather satchel and packed in two maps, a few books on magic and demons to keep himself occupied, as well as a journal and his compass and canteens of water. He smiled to himself as he adjusted his turban.

He couldn't wait to leave.

\---

The ship, Lionheart, was a steadfast and smooth sailing ship. Her crew was a mixture of dwarves, humans, and elves who had sailed many nights and had experience with rough seas. To Wrathion's dismay, not only were Drakkisath and seven guards present, but the SI:7 captain Fahrad and five of his rogues were also present. Wrathion knew his father could be ridiculous.. But surely Wrathion didn't need this many guards - especially when he was attending a diplomatic mission! Wrathion made a mental note to try and speak with his father once he returned home.

Drakkisath and Fahrad kept Wrathion locked in his quarters for a big part of the journey and be found himself thankful that he had packed some books to keep him entertained in the confines of his room. The days so far had been boring and dull, with Wrathion only able to hear snippets of stories from the ship’s crew. He was reading about arcane magic when the ship rocked particularly hard on what Wrathion presumed was a wave. He grunted as his turban fell to the ground and moved to grab it when the ship suddenly heaved. Wrathion tumbled from the bed was soon shoved against a wall. He could hear the ship’s crew screaming above, as well as Fahrad and Generald Drakkisath barking out orders. Another round of cannonfire hit the ship and the ship began to turn on it’s side. Wrathion tried to break out of his cabin but found the door locked. He pounded on the door and got no response. The ship heaved again, throwing Wrathion into the door. He hit his head and soon fell unconscious.

\----

When he awoke, everything was silent. He no longer heard the screams of the crew, of his guards. All he could hear was the ocean.

He slowly stumbled to his feet, only to find his cabin filling with water. He charged the door twice, bringing it down quickly. He tried to look for someone, anyone, who might still be alive. He found corpses, certainly, but he didn’t find everyone and that concerned him. What had happened? He moved to what remained of the ship’s deck and froze. Where.. Was he? They had been heading to Tanaris, this place was nowhere on the maps Wrathion had seen.

He looked towards the land and he saw no creatures, only a dense and lush forest with strange looking trees. Stranded on an uncharted island? Well, this was certainly different than the trip he had signed up for. However, instead of finding himself worried, he grinned to himself and began to head into the woods. Perhaps this would be better than the Tanaris trip after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wrathion lands in Pandaria - things go bad.

It took only fifteen minutes for the initial excitement of the journey to stall and Wrathion cursed at himself for forgetting the supplies he brought. What use were they to him if he didn’t even think to take them into the forests?!

He groans loudly and leans against one of the many bamboo trees of the dense forest he had wandered into. At least he had some daggers on him. Every good rogue kept at least one good dagger in their boots and Wrathion was no exception. He observed the forests around him, moving to a stream of water. Perhaps if he followed it he could find a civilization, though the problem remained on if said civilization would be friendly to an outsider such as himself. This land was unexplored.. If there were sentient beings here, they may have never seen a human before. Wrathion swats some bugs away from him, irritated. The journey, although wondrous in its own way, was going to prove harsh, especially without the aid of his guards. No matter, this was his chance to prove that he, the fourth royal child, could survive on his own. Wrathion may be younger than his siblings, but he can put up a fight.

A snapping of a twig nearby gets his attention and he whirls around, immediately reaching for the dagger in his left boot. He holds it steady, keeping his eyes where he had heard the noise. He quietens his breath, listening to the sounds around him. He hears a low growl, circling in the brush around him. An animal, then. Food perhaps. 

Wrathion manages to move out of the way as a rather large tiger leaps in his direction, claws outstretched. The beast was massive, similar to the kinds of felines in Northrend. Its sharp blue eyes lock onto Wrathion’s own as it repeatedly lunges at him, swiping its large claws in his direction. Wrathion dodges easily, using the surrounding brush and trees to his advantage. He weaves his way around the creature and manages to leap upon its back, driving his dagger into the back of its skull.

The tiger crumples to the ground and Wrathion grunts, wheezing with effort. He looks around, making sure no other beasts followed suit before getting off of the tiger’s carcass. “I need to find some shelter, quickly. Being out here at night is anything but convenient.”

Wrathion spends fifteen minutes finding a shelter before he finds what appears to be an abandoned tiger burrow - perhaps the beast who had attacked’s own shelter. He drags the tiger’s body into the shelter and uses his dagger to cut off brances of nearby trees and bushes so he can construct a sort of “door”, using wild vines to fit everything together. He gathers some extra wood to provide heat and by the time he is done, the sun has begun to set. He covers the cave entrance and works swiftly to skin the beast, beginning to butcher the animal into food rations. 

By the time he is finished, Wrathion finds himself exhausted. His clothes are ruined and he doubts he will be able to remain in this den for long, the blood will likely attract more creatures that he would rather not deal with. He tears off the sleeves of his royal regalia and uses them to wipe the blood from his hands and dagger. Damn the crew for not letting him out - perhaps if he had helped he could have better coordinated the crew than General Drakkisath ever could. The general was stubborn and more of a consequences-be-damned kind of man, rushing into battles with an unmatched fury. Wrathion found himself stifling a laugh at the irony.

He sets up a brief fireplace so he could cook himself some food and by some miracle, finds a canteen in his jacket. At least he hadn’t forgotten one canteen. He enjoys his brief meal and stifles the fire, sitting up against a wall in the back of the den. When he woke, he would follow the stream as far as he could and hope he could find some reasonable individuals.

\--

Wrathion is awoken early in the morning by the sound of his make-shift door opening, the leaves rustling with the movement. He jolts awake, holding his dagger only to be faced with.. A gorilla? No.. that’s not right. The creature looked like a primate. It wore a loincloth of leaves and held what looked like a bamboo spear. It looks at Wrathion and tilts its head, looking towards the butchered tiger before looking back to the human.

“What is wikket?” It said, inquisitive. Wrathion stared at it, his right hand still clenched around his dagger.

“Pardon?” Wrathion murmurs, narrowing his eyes at the creature. It looks at him still, slowly making its way to the butchered tiger.

“Wikket took down beast!” It cheered, swishing its long tail. “Wikket strong, but never seen your kind of wikket before. Not Pandaren.. Or Mogu.. or fishmen! What are you, wikket?” It looks back at him, letting go of its spear.

Pandaren? Mogu? Fishmen? Are these the races that resided on this continent? “I’m a human, and what exactly are you?” Wrathion glared, still tense.

“Hooman? Huhman… Human! Odd wikket name. Never heard of human. Why is human-wikket here? This hozen land!” It grabbed its spear again, moving towards Wrathion again, its tail swishing from side to side.

“Well, I wasn’t aware this was your land.” Wrathion said, keeping his tone neutral. If this was this creature’s territory, who knew how many more were outside? “Do you know somewhere I could go? Somewhere.. Not in your land?”

“Jinyu town nearby.. But hozen not like jinyu. Know of a pandaren-wikket town, can lead you there if you not cause any trouble!” The hozen jeered, giving a crooked and odd smile. It made Wrathion uneasy.

Wrathion sheathes his dagger in his boot and stands, raising his hands in a surrendering gesture. “Very well, I won’t cause harm.. And you can lead me to these Pandaren.” The hozen nodded and gestured for Wrathion to follow as it left. More of the creatures waited outside and the hozen that had spoken to Wrathion spoke to some of the others before the group began to lead the prince elsewhere. The creatures surrounded him like an entourage and spoke frequently throughout the trip. Like Wrathion had thought, the hozen lead him along the stream. The prince marveled at the many creatures he saw, as they were so vastly different than the types he had seen in Stormwind and in Elwynn Forest. 

The hozen continued to chatter to themselves around him and they often asked Wrathion questions about his clothes and where he came from. He answered with silky lies, they didn’t need to know the truth after all. The trip lasted until about noon when the hozen decided to take a break, catching fish in the stream. Wrathion took the opportunity to fill his canteen. The hozen he had met before, Tik-ik, greeted him with a speared seared fish. “Want some, wikket?”

Wrathion shook his head. “I am fine, thank you. I ate before the journey. When are we leaving again?”

“Once every hozen eats. The village not far now. Tik-ik thank human wikket for not causing trouble.”

“I said I would not cause trouble, “ Wrathion smiled, sitting on the ground with his canteen in his lap. “I will keep my word.” 

The sound of a nearby hozen shouting made Wrathion jump. Another hozen came running to Tik-ik. “Jinyu nearby! We must go now!”

Tik-ik jumped up and issued a call. Wrathion hurriedly stood up and ran with the group of hozen. Wrathion glanced behind them and could see a bunch of carp-faced people, chasing them with more advanced weapons than what the hozen carried.

It didn't take long for one of the hozen to trip Wrathion as they ran. He fell to the floor and watched as the hozen scrambled. They had left him as bait! He turns, ready to grab his dagger, only to have a black spear pointed at his face. He looks up to meet the jinyu's emerald green eyes. Wrathion swallows hard. 

"You are not a hozen.. Wait.. I have seen your kind before."

"You.. You have seen more humans?" Wrathion inquired as the Jinyu moved his spear away. Wrathion slowly began to stand as the Jinyu sighed.

"Yes, a party of your kind were found injured. One of our seers tends to them in our town. Are they friends of yours?"

"Most likely, yes. Can you lead me to them?"

"Certainly. Follow me. Do not cause trouble." The Jinyu began to walk back the way they had come and Wrathion, hurting and exhausted, followed the stranger.

\---

The room was dim, lit only by a few small stray candles. He sat in the middle of the room on a soft yak-fur carpet. The white, gold, and blue robe he wore glimmered in the darkness with different colored runes. His white and gold horns rose up from his blonde hair, curving slightly at the top. He held his hands in his lap, meditating with a golden aura surrounding his thin figure. He hummed a lullaby to himself as he watched visions of future events come and go.

There was a polite knock on his door and he opened his eyes, their azure glow adding to the mysterious element of his aura. "Come in," he spoke quietly, as if speaking any louder would shatter the peace around him.

Tong the Fixer, a large pandaren innkeeper, greeted the dragon. "I apologize for the intrusion, Anduin."

Anduin smiled. "Please, there is no need to apologize Tong. I assume dinner is ready then?"

Tong returned his own toothy smile and gave a hearty laugh. "Of course you would know. Can you guess what we are having?"

Anduin hummed as if in deep thought."Lotus seed buns with mushan steak with a side of noodle soup?"

Tong faked an exhausted groan, throwing his hands in the air in an exasperated gesture. "You and your vision, ruining the surprise!"

Anduin got to his feet, briefly fixing his robes. He laughed lightly, his azure eyes giving off a mischievous glow. "You'll catch me off guard one day Tong."

Tong raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. "Is that so?"

Anduin gave a toothy grin, slowly walking past Tong and through the door. "Perhaps. Only time will tell."

\---

To Wrathion’s dismay, the people the Jinyu had found were, in fact, some of the crew. General Drakkisath was up and about, his chest covered in bandages. The man looked particularly displeased and when he caught sight of Wrathion, the man gave a hefty sigh of relief. “There you are! Now we can find a way to get YOU home.”

Wrathion scoffed and wiped some dirt from his face. “Home? How could I go home now, at a time like this? We have no contact with our navy and we have landed on UNCHARTED territory! There is potential here and potential with this land’s people - at least.. Some of them.” He winced as he remembered the Hozen, not a particularly bright bunch of creatures.

Drakkisath scowled. “I’ve gotten in contact with your brother, Sabellian. The navy and military will be coming soon - but they’re sending a party to get you out of here. Leave this to us, your highness. The man spat out the title, angry. “You will only get in our way.”

Wrathion returned a glare. “Absolutely not! I can help - my father will only ravage this land.. Perhaps this is the opportunity to show him a different method of diplomacy. If we can get in contact with the Pandaren - we could make more allies for the Alliance, before the Horde gets here.” He huffs in defiance. “I am staying here, General. Whether you approve or not, I could do something here. I cannot do anything while locked away in the keep!”

“That matters not, you need to return home. You have no idea what you’re doing and-” Drakkisath was cut off as one of the Jinyu came between the two humans. The Jinyu gave a rumbling sigh.

“General, you should not work yourself. Let our healers tend to your wounds - we can get some to help your prince too.” The Jinyu calmly said, though it was more of a command than a suggestion. Drakkisath rolled his eyes but nodded, silently agreeing to the idea. Perhaps the general was just too exhausted from his wounds. Two robed Jinyu came to help Drakkisath back to the bed he’d been laying on while the Jinyu who had intervened began leading Wrathion to a building.

“He is not happy you are determined to stay.” The Jinyu hummed. Wrathion looked up at the fish man and sighed.

“No, he is not. I cannot remain here - I must leave before he fully recovers. Do you have any supplies you can offer me? I was heading towards a Pandaren village when I was discovered but your people.” Wrathion folded his arms as the Jinyu sat Wrathion down in an aquatic styled building. The man laughed lowly, waving his scaled arms above a pool of water on the floor. The water rose up from the ground in a stream and formed a ring around the Jinyu’s hands. The Jinyu observed Wrathion and set his hands near the man scrapes and cuts on the human’s legs. He murmured something to himself and the water flowed towards the wounds, slowly cleaning them out and urging the wounds to seal. Wrathion winced at the sting.

“You will worry him and your family if you truly wish to run off. The Pandaren are kind people, but your people do not yet know that,” The Jinyu sighed, continuing to heal and clean Wrathion’s wounds. “We can provide some brief supplies and get a kite to fly you to Dawn’s Blossom - just north of here. If you are truly interested in learning of this land, I would ask around for Lorewalker Cho. He knows a lot of our history - of our struggles. I can provide a distraction for you, but we will need to move quickly.” Wrathion nodded. The sooner he left, the sooner he could figure out more about this land.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a snippit of Anduin! i uh couldn't help it. If people are actually reading this - thank you guys, kudos and comments make me pretty happy. Hope you enjoy this one - took a bit longer to write.

**Author's Note:**

> I have not written anything on here in a VERY long time and my memory on Pandaria is sketchy at best, so prepare to cringe at timeline inconsistencies! Also I know this first chapter is short I'm sorry, trying to back into writing.


End file.
